ZENITH

Scientists are always in search of model systems that can help them study in the simplest, fastest and most effective ways disease pathways that affect humans. A tiny fish in the minnow family has proven extremely valuable in this regard. The zebrafish shares 70 % of the genes found in humans and many critical signaling pathways. The eggs are fertilised externally, facilitating developmental interventions and studies, and the resulting embryos are transparent, meaning development can be watched under a microscope.  

The EU-funded ZENITH project is preparing a new generation of scientists for interdisciplinary collaboration on pressing neuroscience challenges, such as the understanding of how neural networks mediate perception and behaviour. To this aim. trainees will utilise the zebrafish model system and benefit from academic and industrial mentoring. The team will emerge with skills in visualisation, gene editing and computational modelling to study the nervous system and enhance understanding from cells to circuits and to behaviour.